PFE28KSKGSS - GE Fridge warm at times and freezer normal replaces evap fan, FF thermistor & main board

[sdynak]

Model Number

PFE28KSKGSS

Brand

GE

Age

1-5 years

Hi there folks!!

I hope all are well. I have a 5 year old GE Profile refrigerator twin cool system that at times, it seems the fridge will not cool properly and gets erratic from a temp chart.

I have replaced the evaporator fan, the fresh food thermistor and the main board and still having this issue. Testing the thermistors from the main board all seem ok in a range to be expected so have not continued to replace more.

It will cool normally for like 6 hours and even longer at times and then it seems to go off once the doors are opened or once warm air / humidity introduced. It is strange as I'm seeing that pattern.

The evaporator is not freezing over when this happens, I am noticing the fridge evap fan is not running and it seems as if there is no signal to turn on. If I leave the door open long enough the fan will kick on before I can remove the cover but there is no frost covering it and the fan will come on before I can get to it btu can hear it when it comes on.

Looking back, I'm thinking something has not been right for a while but on May 25th to 26th there was a distinct change that led to higher fridge temps like in the low 50's F. My adjustments and changing the evap fan early on and fridge thermistor did help to get it back down. This was pretty sudden and nothing was changed till that time.

It seems there is a lot of humidity as can be seen on my monitoring sensor as well as just on the items in the fridge.

I have been proactively monitoring my fridge for about a year now just to ensure to prevent any issues such a door open or failure. I did put in a aftermarket thermistor and the resistance was off and when it ran, it took the fridge down to 26 F when it did cool which was too cold even if I set the temp to 37. So I got a OEM one and replaced it and that is what is in there now.

The freezer seems for the most part to work ok and is not following this pattern like the fridge.

Here are a few pictures of the chart where you can see the erratic temps. Some of the higher temps in the 50's are times when I was in there trying to observe what might be happening such as the last picture from today in the 50's. Mostly it will go into the low to mid 40's now when it acts up but 50 happened initially. I assume the intermittent 50 was the defrost cycle until it shifted all together.

If anyone has seen anything like this I'd be very thankful for any advice here. It doesn't seem like a defrost issue and pretty much everything has been replaced otherwise.

Thank you in advance.. Stan

 

[sdynak]

So thought I would add that I have done some additional testing after a period when it hit about 50 deg F in the FF compartment.

What I am seeing is the compressor running and the suction line with a light frost on it back to the compressor with no fan running. At least in the FF.. as I was looking and testing the line cleared up and the fan started running. Edit - Pretty sure neither fan in FF or FZ was running when I saw this and it was just the compressor. I see my FZ was climbing slightly at this time also but not as much as the fridge did this time. Posting a pic of freezer chart also.

I was able to test the yellow fan wire at the main board (silver/blue here) for the fan control. There was 0v on it when the fan was not running. As soon as it started running I got about 3.5v.

I also confirmed the FF thermistor readings in self test mode as soon as it started running was also confirming 50 def F which was what I was reading on my sensor I placed inside.

It is strange as it will run for hours like 6 or 8 with what appears to be normal then get warm for possibly hours at a time. If it were the defrost cycle I could see this if it didn't get quite as warm and only lasted for a 1/2 hr or so.

I see through various searches others have this issue but never see a resolution. Yes, the evap fan seems to be common and I see that resolving those issues but this is def not a fan issue. It is not being controlled from what I am seeing.

Is the main board with a steady green flash normal? There are no error codes in self test also. Of course the first thing I did was clean the condenser which was not that bad but good to rule out.

Someone must have seen and resolved this ghost before?

Just some recent charts over the past day for added insight as it is now starting to come back down after the above tests. It hit 50 on my temp sensor.





Thanks!!

 

[nromero]

So thought I would add that I have done some additional testing after a period when it hit about 50 deg F in the FF compartment.

What I am seeing is the compressor running and the suction line with a light frost on it back to the compressor with no fan running. At least in the FF.. as I was looking and testing the line cleared up and the fan started running. Edit - Pretty sure neither fan in FF or FZ was running when I saw this and it was just the compressor. I see my FZ was climbing slightly at this time also but not as much as the fridge did this time. Posting a pic of freezer chart also.

I was able to test the yellow fan wire at the main board (silver/blue here) for the fan control. There was 0v on it when the fan was not running. As soon as it started running I got about 3.5v.

I also confirmed the FF thermistor readings in self test mode as soon as it started running was also confirming 50 def F which was what I was reading on my sensor I placed inside.

It is strange as it will run for hours like 6 or 8 with what appears to be normal then get warm for possibly hours at a time. If it were the defrost cycle I could see this if it didn't get quite as warm and only lasted for a 1/2 hr or so.

I see through various searches others have this issue but never see a resolution. Yes, the evap fan seems to be common and I see that resolving those issues but this is def not a fan issue. It is not being controlled from what I am seeing.

Is the main board with a steady green flash normal? There are no error codes in self test also. Of course the first thing I did was clean the condenser which was not that bad but good to rule out.

Someone must have seen and resolved this ghost before?

Just some recent charts over the past day for added insight as it is now starting to come back down after the above tests. It hit 50 on my temp sensor.


View attachment 73237

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Thanks!!

I'm having the exact same issue. You were a bit more detailed in diagnosis but the issue is the same.

 

[sdynak]

I'm having the exact same issue. You were a bit more detailed in diagnosis but the issue is the same.

I'm still using this fridge but I have made a modification that at least seems to keep the unit cool enough. I won't post it here as it is not an official fix but I can let you know what I did if you wish to PM me. Here is what it looks like over 2 weeks now. The random higher temps are likely mostly attributed to the door open or other reasons such as warmer things put in the fridge. I'm sure the defrost cycle has some effect there as well. At least there is some consistency now.

 

[mikecrosby1]

I'm still using this fridge but I have made a modification that at least seems to keep the unit cool enough. I won't post it here as it is not an official fix but I can let you know what I did if you wish to PM me. Here is what it looks like over 2 weeks now. The random higher temps are likely mostly attributed to the door open or other reasons such as warmer things put in the fridge. I'm sure the defrost cycle has some effect there as well. At least there is some consistency now.

I experiencing the same issue with my GE refrigerator. I would be interested in how you did your modification to keep the fridge temps in that lower range.

 

[sdynak]

I experiencing the same issue with my GE refrigerator. I would be interested in how you did your modification to keep the fridge temps in that lower range.

You do not allow others to contact you but feel free to reach out to me and I can share what I did. As mentioned it is a work around more than a fix as I'm not sure if there is a actual fix for this issue it seems.

 

[cmkramer]

I'm still using this fridge but I have made a modification that at least seems to keep the unit cool enough. I won't post it here as it is not an official fix but I can let you know what I did if you wish to PM me. Here is what it looks like over 2 weeks now. The random higher temps are likely mostly attributed to the door open or other reasons such as warmer things put in the fridge. I'm sure the defrost cycle has some effect there as well. At least there is some consistency now.

I too am having the same issue. I replaced the fresh food thermistor and evaporator fan and it's still not cooling enough. I'm interested in your work around, but I can't seem to figure out how to dm people on here.

 

[sdynak]

I too am having the same issue. I replaced the fresh food thermistor and evaporator fan and it's still not cooling enough. I'm interested in your work around, but I can't seem to figure out how to dm people on here.

Which FF thermistor did you replace it with? OEM GE? If so, that will not help the issue. There is one on Amazon item #B0B4RM9DJH that has diff ohm readings than the GE which makes it think the FF is warmer than it is. This turns on the compressor & fan sooner than the actual temp. I have this installed but wrapped in tissue to keep from sudden changes.

I still don't know what the real issue is and it seems there is no true resolution. I see others have had issues messaging as well so there it is. It's not perfect, but I'm not ready to buy a new fridge after only a few years.

I did also replace the board but it didn't change anything as well as the FF fan and cleaned the condenser coil just to ensure nothing else was a cause.

Your mileage may vary. Wish anyone with this issue the best of luck. It's just not fair.